SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2010 GOING OUR WAY Scandinavia trip: Save for it now, savor it later
by K.C. Summers Annika Benjes, director of pub-
lic relations for the Swedish tour- ist board, would like to make one thing perfectly clear: “It’s a myth that Stockholm is the most ex- pensive city in Europe. Not true!” And she’s right; the Swedish capital didn’t appear on any of the dozen or so priciest-cities-of- the-world lists that I checked, even going back several years. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of Oslo, Copenhagen and Helsinki, all of which make reg- ular appearances in the Top 10. In other words, while there are
ways to economize on a trip to Scandinavia — and we’ll explore those — it’s important to realize that the place is simply not a budget travel destination. Which means that the Phillipses of Fres- no, Calif., who want to visit Scan- dinavia together for two weeks next spring, have two options: They’ll have to reduce their planned vacation time by half, going from two weeks to one. Or they’ll have to increase their $7,000 travel budget by at least $1,000, and $2,000 if they want to stay in mid-price hotels or B&Bs with private baths, as well as have an occasional splurge. (On the bright side, they have a year to save up.) Now that we’ve got the bad
news out of the way, let’s talk about how to make this trip hap- pen. Usually when faced with a
budget challenge, I recommend booking an air-hotel package, be- cause bundling airfare and lodg- ing from a discounter is almost always cheaper than booking separately. With Scandinavia, not so much. Even the canned tours are expensive, especially those leaving from the West Coast. However, if you employ a little creative airline routing and have a willingness to embrace the re- gion’s network of affordable and clean hostels, guesthouses and B&Bs, you can save some serious money.
COMING & GOING
Baltimore landmark closed; safety hazards discovered
B’more monument:
Down not up That other Washington Monument, the one in Baltimore that predates the District’s, was closed last week and may be shuttered for some time. The is- sue: safety. The closure came after the
Mount Vernon Place Conservan- cy, a nonprofit group, commis- sioned a study that discovered safety hazards on the viewing balcony at the top, such as miss- ing mortar and rusting metal support brackets. The city has or- dered its own assessment, which could take about a month, ac- cording to Gwendolyn Burrell, a spokeswoman for the city’s De- partment of Recreation and Parks. “The balcony wall is 33 inches
high,” she said. “We want to make sure it’s high enough for safety.” The commission will also inspect other “wear and tear” on the 128- foot-tall landmark. Burrell directs visitors need- ing an aerial fix in the meantime to the Inner Harbor’s World Trade Center, which has an ob- servation deck on the 27th floor; Federal Hill; or Druid Hill Park.
A charmed ride More evidence that buses are taking over the world: Megabus is expanding to Baltimore. Serv- ice from Washington kicks off July 21, with fares from $1 one way. The buses to Charm City will depart nine times a day from H and 10th streets NW. Drop-off is at the White Marsh Park & Ride lot, in Baltimore’s northern sub- urbs. MTA buses operate between the stop and downtown. The low-fare bus line is also
adding five trips per day to its Philadelphia schedule. To mark this event, it’s giving away free seats on the Philly route for travel from July 21. Limited availability. Use promo code LUVPHL when booking at
www.megabus.com.
Travel ticker Carlo’s City Hall Bake Shop, made famous by TLC star Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro, is celebrat- ing its 100th year with a bash in Hoboken, N.J. On Friday, staffers will hand out free cupcakes at the PATH station in Hoboken. The next day, a block party takes over Washington Street, with dessert- decorating stations, a dunk tank and more. Info:
www.carlos
bakery.com.
Reporting: Andrea Sachs. Help feed CoGo. Send travel news to: cogo@
washpost.com. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071
For example: One of the cheap- est package tours I found on a quick Internet search was Gener- al Tours’ seven-day “Classic Scan- dinavia,” which visits Copenha- gen, Stockholm and Helsinki for a land price of $1,599 per person. The reservationist guessed that airfare would run about $1,500 per person from the West Coast, for a grand total of $9,297 for three people — and that figure will most likely increase by next year. The price includes rail and ferry transportation, city tours and breakfasts, but you’re on your own for lunch and dinner. Info: 800-221-2216,
www.general
tours.com. Now, the DIY version: Get from California to New York on your own — with luck, you can fly for $250 per person round trip by monitoring the sales — and then take Icelandair from JFK to Co- penhagen, with a return flight from Oslo. The airline recently quoted a fare of $730 per person for this “open jaw” ticket in May, for a total of $980 each, or $2,940 for three. (Washington residents can follow the same advice and fly from New York; otherwise, ex- pect fares from about $875 per person round trip.) On to lodging. Hotels in Scan-
dinavia are expensive, so consid- er staying at hostels. Don’t freak: As elsewhere in Europe, they’re popular with adults and families as well as backpackers. Many are in central locations and feature such amenities as bars, Internet and even private rooms. Rates start at about $25 per person per night for a basic dorm bed (less if you bring your own sheets), so you can get away with a total lodging cost of about $450 for six nights. (Join Hostelling Interna- tional before you leave the United States: 011-441-707-324170,
www.hihostels.com.) If that seems a bit extreme, B&Bs are another option, start- ing at about $60 a night double ($120 for two rooms), and you get the perk of schmoozing with the locals. Book on the spot through the local tourist information of-
TRAVEL JON ARNOLD IMAGES LTD/ALAMY In Stockholm, Sweden’s gorgeous 700-year-old capital, you can get just about anywhere on foot.
Who: Kathryn and Phil Phillips, 62 and 69 respectively, and daughter Cheyne, 28, of Fresno, Calif. Where: Scandinavia Why: Family vacation with a focus on culture, nature, shopping and relaxation When: May 2011 for two weeks Budget: $7,000
“My husband and I want our daughter to see as much of the world as possible. Travel is the best education. Sights, sounds, foods, cultures are what we want to experience.”
FAMILY PHOTO
fice, or check prices through a site such as BedandBreak-
fast.com. For more on hotels, hos- tels, guesthouses and B&Bs: Go Scandinavia, 212-885-9700, www.
goscandinavia.com. The Phillipses don’t want to rent a car, so they should buy a rail pass before leaving the Unit- ed States. A second-class Scandi- navia Saver Pass covering four days of train travel within two
months runs $259 per person, or $777 for three, from Rail Europe (800-622-8600, www.raileurope. com). Total DIY cost so far for a six- night, seven-day trip using the hostel option: $4,167. If you go the B&B route, plan on spending $4,500 and up. Now here’s a sample itinerary: Days 1-2: Fly into Copenhagen, one of Europe’s most appealing
capitals, and see as much as you can in two days: the palaces, the shopping street of Stroget, Kron- berg Castle, the National Gallery. Make like a local and bike ev-
erywhere. Also, take a harbor and canal tour, and save time for Tiv- oli Gardens, the world’s most civ- ilized amusement park. Be glad you’re visiting in 2011: The city’s famous Little Mermaid statue should be safely back home by
then. (She’s visiting the Shanghai World Expo for much of this year.) Days 3-5: Take the train to Stockholm, Sweden’s gorgeous 700-year-old capital. Start with a walking tour of Gamla Stan (the Old Town) and visit the Royal Pal- ace, the 17th-century royal war- ship Vasa, the tons of museums. You can get just about anywhere on foot. If you’re a fan of Stieg Larsson’s “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” series, you must go to So- dermalm, where much of the ac- tion in the books takes place. The formerly blue-collar area has been spiffed up, complete with a 90-minute walking tour offered by the Stockholm City Museum ($15 per person, www.
stadsmuseum.stockholm.se). Finally, for a city break, the Swedish tourist board’s Benjes strongly recommends sailing over to the Archipelago, the group of more than 24,000 is- lands and islets that spans more than 60 miles from north to south. Hop on a classic white fer- ry, bike or stroll around after go- ing ashore, seek out one of the many good restaurants. You can make it a day trip or bunk at an inn, hostel or campground for the night. Days 6-7: Take the train to Nor-
way’s medieval capital of Oslo. (Or, if you reverse this itinerary, take a ferry to Oslo from Copen- hagen.)Way too much here to do in two days, so pick and choose: Gamlebyen (Old Town), Vige- landsparken Sculpture Park, the extraordinary Opera House, the many maritime and art mu- seums, the Royal Palace. Biking is huge in Oslo, and nature awaits at the Oslofjord, a bay with boating and island-hopping galore. If you decide to spend two weeks, simply add Finland to this list, or take a cruise, or add a cou- ple of days each in Norway and Sweden to explore the fiords, countryside and smaller towns.
Interested in having us help plan your trip? Go to
www.washingtonpost.com/ goingourway.
Editor: Joe Yonan • Deputy Editor: Zofia Smardz • Art Directors: Marty Barrick, Alla Dreyvitser • Staff Writers: Andrea Sachs, Nancy Trejos • Editorial Assistant: Becky Krystal • Travel Advertising: Joseph E. Teipe Jr., 202-334-6250 • To respond to one of our articles: E-mail
travel@washpost.com, call 202-334-7750 or write us: Washington Post Travel section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. • Manuscripts: Because of the volume of mail we receive, the Travel section cannot return or acknowledge unsolicited manuscripts, article proposals and photographs.
KLMNO
F3
AND RECEIVE FREE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158